daihatsu turbo-diesel

[jonnyr48]

hi folks, please does anybody know what the compression test figures for the daihatsu (charade) 1.0l turbo-diesel engine should be, or where i could find them? any ideas appreciated.
cheers, jonny

[mark_in_manchester]

I've got a manual for the non-turbo version - I'll try to have a look and see what compression should be.

Do you suspect yours is down on one or more pots, or just being cautious? My spare engine's head is badly cracked between the valve seats...apparently a common problem. Not had the nerve to take head off good engine to check...

[jonnyr48]

thanks mark.i got this mot failure charade a couple of years back with the intention of using the engine for a bike, but was so impressed by it on the run home (plus our crappy car died) i decided to put it back on the road.after 6 months the engine overheated (on my 50th birthday!) and found the head had huge holes melted right through the ally which had been filled in by the previous cowboy with metal putty? or some such. a mechanic mate reckons it could only be caused by gaseous by-products creating a chemical reaction, but i don't have a clue myself (about anything, unfortunately). so we got the head off a spare engine i'd picked up, skimmed it, new valves, properjob, its been great for a year and a half,and i can't help pointing out to everybody who thinks transporting 1 bloke on a bike doing 80mpg is the dogswotsits peak of frugality (yes i'm mean and proud of it!) that the charade easily shifted 5 adults( in extreme discomfort, admittedly) on longer trips at 80+mpg!!! but not a good starter - my fault for not tearing down further and at least putting new rings on the old girl, obviously the compression was down and has now gone down to the point where it won't start.
however, since i'm going through marital break-up and am hoping to piss off to sunnier climes asap i'm wondering if i should offer all this stuff to some lucky sod in the classified section, what do you reckon?
cheers, jonny

[mark_in_manchester]

Hmm, tricky!
I had 2 spare engines (one without a head) but one of the bores was knackered on 1, so I broke it up - which means I have a spare set of pistons and rings. BUT - more experienced people than me have suggested that it's the heads on these that play up, and that the bottom ends are 9/10 times OK. So - are you sure the failure to start is down to lack of compression (does it crank over much faster on the starter than it used to?). If so - is there any chance head gasket may have gone (cream cheese inside oil filler? Losing water? Pressurising oil or water systems?). Silly question, but have you pulled the glow plugs out and made sure they glow red hot? On my Skoda felicia diesel it turned out I had been down to 1 functioning glow plug for a while, and when that packed up - no more starting! Is fuel getting through (with glow plugs out, does fuel mist spray out of the holes when you turn engine over?). On my bike I use no glow-plug control system, and just connect them to 12v, count to 5, and kickstart - you get one compression stoke per kick and it usually starts 1st or 2nd kick...I guess you could connect glow plugs direct to battery plus and try this?

Putting it all in classified sounds like one way of solving the problem - shame I'm not nearer!
M.

[jonnyr48]

yeah, - tried it all bar the glowplug testing, but had that all apart last autumn - seems its got a finicky temperature/switch to time the length of glowplug heating in different weather conditions! i haven't found the right adapter to test the compression, but turning it over with the glowplugs out it sounds like 1 and 3 cylinders aren't doing a lot.
i've got to say i'm helluva impressed you're kicking this beasty over - have you had any backfires yet, or does your right leg just look like popeyes forearm?
cheers, jonny

[mark_in_manchester]

I lost 3 stone last year - it was easier kicking it over when I was 15 stone...

If you do decide to pull it apart, you'd be welcome to my spare pistons / rings if you need them. My guess is, it's the head, but it is a guess. Old trick - pour some engine oil down the bores and test compression again (you'll have fun here because you'll fill up the seperate fuel ignition chamber first if you pour oil in through glowplug holes, which is only connected to bores by a small aperture) . If it's the rings, the compression value improves. If it doesn't, problem is either the valve seats or head gasket (or split head!).

Were you losing oil or water?

M.

[jonnyr48]

thanks a lot for the offer mark, thats very kind of you. heads in great shape, and gasket too, if i was staying here i'd fix it, but since i'm not i reckon i'll scrap it. thats why i was wondering if anybody on the forum could use it, but in reality i reckon its probably too far for anybody to be worthwhile.
cheers, jonny

[mark_in_manchester]

Jonny -

Well, it's too far for me to come and collect the engine, more's the pity. If you decide to scrap it, I'd potentially buy the head off you (if it's in good shape) and pay for some kind of courier - let me know. I guess it might work out just as expensive to send the inj pump and turbo too, though I have spares of them already...

cheers

Mark

[jonnyr48]

ok mark, i'll let you know when i find some time to sort it.
cheers, jonny

[mark_in_manchester]

Just in case you have a late rush of enthusiasm, I've found the compression test data:

Specified value: 28kg/cm^2 (398psi)
Allowable limit: 18kg/cm^2 (256psi)
Difference between cylinders: 2kg/cm^2 (28psi) [at 250rpm].

That's from the non-turbo manual, but I would imagine turbo version will be identical. Manual suggests using an adaptor in the glow-plug hole for the compression tester - might be poss to make one from a buggered glow-plug welded to a piece of tube with a spark-plug thread (M14x1.25mm?) cut in it.

cheers
Mark

[Nanko]

Just in case you have a late rush of enthusiasm, I've found the compression test data:

Specified value: 28kg/cm^2 (398psi)
Allowable limit: 18kg/cm^2 (256psi)
Difference between cylinders: 2kg/cm^2 (28psi) [at 250rpm].

That's from the non-turbo manual, but I would imagine turbo version will be identical. Manual suggests using an adaptor in the glow-plug hole for the compression tester - might be poss to make one from a buggered glow-plug welded to a piece of tube with a spark-plug thread (M14x1.25mm?) cut in it.

cheers
Mark

Be carefull with such adaptors ,minimise the dead volume as much as possible.
tdc combustion chamber volume in 3oo ccm cilinder is only ~15 ccm.
Adapter volume lowers the meter reading.

[jonnyr48]

thanks for your help guys, it was when i realized i'd have to spend some time making a pretty good adapter before i could even test the engine, that i knew i'd have to pass on it.
i'd just like to say what a helpful, interesting, and knowledgable bunch of blokes there are on this forum, i've learnt an amazing amount of stuff off you all (as you can tell from the foolishness of most of my posts!)
cheers, jonny

[buckles]

Johnny, i have an old set of glow plugs you can have if you would like to try them out, they all work. Whilst my bike was in bits i put new plugs in so the old ones are surplus. let me know and i'll chuck em in the post, Andy.

[jonnyr48]

very kind of you andy, but i've got a spare set myself thanks, and a mate has found a dirt-cheap pug 205 thats up and running - much cheaper and easier spares etc, i reckon the difference in mpg will be more than made up for. thanks anyway,
cheers, jonny